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January tornadoes, severe weather in southern, midwestern US cause fatalities

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:40:50 GMT

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Disasters and accidents

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Damage to a structure in Galatia, Illinois.
Image: NOAA.

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected the midwestern and southern United States yesterday into today with damage reported in several states and at least two people killed.

In Mississippi, at least ten counties suffered power outages, and the National Weather Service reported a tornado struck areas near the town of Sardis. At least 11,900 customers were without power in Indiana, where debris blocked roadways and a tornado reportedly damaged homes in the town of Solsberry. In Tennessee major damage was reported around the Nashville area with widespread tree and some building damage reported. One man was killed in Nashville when a tree fell on a building he was using as shelter, according to police. An EF2 tornado was also confirmed to have touched down in the town of Mount Juliet.

Damage was also reported in Georgia, where a tornado caused extensive damage in Adairsville, and one person was reported killed. Damage and flipped vehicles resulted in the closure of Interstate 75 at Adairsville. The Storm Prediction Center and National Climatic Data Center said the fatality in Adairsville was the first tornado-related fatality in the United States in 220 days, since a deadly tornado in Florida June 24, ending the longest recorded time between tornado fatalities in the United States.

The threat for severe weather is expected to continue into tonight as the storm system continues to push east, with the possibility of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes.

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Sources [edit]

Michael Pearson and Vivian Kuo. "High winds, tornado trap residents, turn over cars" — CNN, January 30, 2013
Larry Copeland and Doyle Rice. "Killer storms, tornadoes hit South, Midwest" — USA Today, January 30, 2013
Mary Wisniewski. "Tornadoes rip central, southeast U.S., at least two dead" — Reuters, January 30, 2013
Associated Press. "Powerful storm flips cars, decimates homes along destructive path through Southeast; 2 dead" — The Washington Post, January 30, 2013

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Actor and television host Gary Collins dies aged 74

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:13:27 GMT

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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Gary Collins in 1972.
Image: American Broadcasting Company.

Actor and television host Gary Collins died yesterday at age 74. He died at Biloxi Regional Medical Center, in Biloxi, Mississippi, of natural causes according to Harrison County, Mississippi Deputy Coroner Gary Hargrove.

He starred on television series The Sixth Sense, Born Free, The Iron Horse, and The Wackiest Ship in the Army. He hosted Hour Magazine from 1980 to 1988. He appeared on television shows such as Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat. From 1985 to 1989 he hosted the Miss America Pageant. He was also a radio personality.

In 2011, Collins separated from his wife Miss America 1959 winner Mary Ann Mobley after 44 years. He had a previous marriage to Susan Peterson.

Gary Collins was born on April 30, 1938 in Venice, California. Collins attended Santa Monica City College prior to enlisting in the US Army. He was a disc jockey and announcer for Armed Forces Radio. After he left the army his civilian television career got underway with the television series The Wackiest Ship in the Army.

He is survived by three children, two of them by his first wife.

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Sources [edit]

Claire Noland. "Gary Collins, actor and TV host, dies at 74" — Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2012
"Gary Collins Dead: Legendary TV Actor And Host Dies At 74" — The Huffington Post, October 13, 2012
"Actor Gary Collins dies" — CNN, October 13, 2012

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FanFiction.Net adult content purge felt across fandom two weeks on

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:50:36 GMT

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27 March 2013: Andrew Sayers resigns National Museum of Australia directorship
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13 February 2013: 'Banana Joe' wins Westminster

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

FanFiction.Net's purge removed stories from Harry Potter, Naruto, Twilight, Hetalia - Axis Powers.
Image: alixe75 on ffdotnetrants.

Two weeks ago, FanFiction.Net purged the site of much of the adult content, surprising many fan fiction readers and writers; leaving several archives on the Internet unprepared for a deluge of new users, problems continuing to this day. FanFiction.Net removed around 62,000 stories after a change allowing writers under the age of eighteen to register.

FanFiction.Net spelled out the reasons for their purge on the front page of the site:

“	Please note we would like to clarify the content policy we have in place since 2002. FanFiction.Net follows the Fiction Rating system ranging from Fiction K to Fiction M. Although Fiction Ratings goes up to Fiction MA, FanFiction.Net since 2002 has not allowed Fiction MA rated content which can contain adult/explicit content on the site. FanFiction.Net only accepts content in the Fiction K through Fiction M range. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA and has not been allowed on the site since 2002.	”
	— FanFiction.Net

According to alixe75 on LiveJournal's ffdotnetrants, FanFiction.Net deleted 2,002 Naruto stories, 1,497 Twilight stories, 1,256 Harry Potter stories, 670 Glee stories, 364 Inuyasha stories, 364 Hetalia - Axis Powers stories, 282 Kingdom Hearts, 213 Pokemon stories, 143 Yu-Gi-Oh stories, 127 Dragon Ball Z stories and 47 Doctor Who stories amongst others. rahirah on Dreamwidth provided another statistic, "Approximately 11% of all BtVS [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] stories were zapped. That may not sound like much, but FFnet is big - that comes to thousands of stories." feckless-muse on Dreamwidth reported the purge included banning users. Despite the purge, Alexa reports no drop in traffic to FanFiction.Net.

1 Critics United
2 Fan response
3 Fan fiction archives
4 Sources
5 External links

Critics United [edit]

Note — June 20, 2012

Critics United is a subcommunity of FanFiction.Net users; this was not clearly explained in the article.

Some in the fan community blamed Critics United for the purge, and a few Tumblr users created a group to fight them. The group earned a mention on the Huffington Post.

According to feckless-muse, "people reporting these so called site violations are literally ganging up on the writers and leaving comments like the ones below en masse. The poor writers are spending hours (and in some cases months and years for ongoing fics) on their works only to be abused, bullied and then having their work deleted without notice." With these sentiments being echoed on LiveJournal, jessioriginal reported threats from the group at the same time the purge took place.

“	It's been suggested that part of the reason behind the purge were the mass-reports coming from a trollish community on FanFiction that felt they have the right to judge which stories do and do not belong on the site. Unfortunately, they are not alone. My Fatal Fanfiction story—a Fatal Frame parody revolving around the recent purge—was targeted by them. Apparently the short prologue with references to the characters, story, and setting of the game was enough for them to declare my story an original work. They have since demanded I change it or remove it, threatened me, they've reported my story, and they keep leaving those kind of reviews.	”
	— jessioriginal on LiveJournal

Two months ago, David Anderson, of Dudley, Massachusetts, created a petition condemning Critics United which drew increased interest in light of the purge. By earlier today, 224 people signed it including Danny Kleemann of Peoria, Illinois, Brian George O'Connor of Chatham, New York, Tegan Chin of Arlington, Texas, Holly Reichert of Euclid, Ohio, Claire Owen of Houston, Texas, Joanna Zhang of Charlotte, North Carolina, Amber Keystone of Monroe, Louisiana, Lily Hamilton of Charlotte, North Carolina, Allison Law of Charlotte, North Carolina and Erica Winchester of Clinton, Massachusetts who all signed today. Earlier this week, Timothy Hall signed, saying "The profiles are being deleted due to either content violations or inactivity, including the stories in connection with the profiles. Most of profile and story deletions are because of depicted content about adult or violent themes being detailed beyond its 'suggestion' even in the slightest manner."

So great was one person's anger, they created a page about Critics United on Encyclopedia Dramatica several months ago. People mentioned this and praised people trolling Critics United on Tumblr and LiveJournal as recently as yesterday.

Correction — Jun 18, 2012

the Critics United page on Encyclopedia Dramatica was created on June 6, after the purge.

Fan response [edit]

A scene from Mary West's mature rated Harry Potter fan fiction "Time for a Change"
Image: SSHGGillian.

Twelve days ago, a FanFiction.Net contributor named Charlotte Weatherly created a petition on Change.org requesting FanFiction.Net stop its own destruction by purging stories. Earlier today, the count of signatories stood at over 30,000, many offering their perspectives on why the site acted in error. Kara Bularzik's comment, liked over 270 times, said: "... I cannot believe so much valuable work is being trashed because it doesn't fit parameters that have not been strictly enforced since they were put into action. [...] What is the point of a ratings system if anything disagreeable is automatically purged? [...] I am truly disheartened, and I hope either a different course of action is taken or I wish ff.net and its future users (all within the PG reading range) the best as I sadly look for a site where one can truly 'unleash their imagination'." Zaynab Quadri's comment, liked 88 times, expressed a similar sentiment: "Writers give warnings when they write explicit content, so if anyone's reading anything they shouldn't be, that's their own fault. Let the writers have freedom of speech." Lex Black's comment, liked by 30 people, said: "Some of the best stories are being threatened by this. This rule hasn't been inforced^[sic] for ten years and limiting creativity now is ridicules.^[sic] If it upsets you, then be MATURE enough to not read it."

People continue to support the petition, with Maria Adams of San Diego, California, Matthew Sandrock of Santa Maria, California, Jessie Brown of Clinton, Mississippi, Cynthia Mora of Renton, Washington, Anis Rosdi of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, James Clarke of Cedar Point, North Carolina, Blair Ritchie of Ashland, Oregon, Rianna McMahan of Auburn, Washington, Hannah Johnson of Tuolumne, California and C.J. Concepcion of Goodyear, Arizona signing today. Discussion of the petition on a FanFiction.Net message board generated over 3,000 messages, and is still active.

On Dreamwidth, members urged FanFiction.Net users to back up their work lest it be deleted. Users auronlu, vieralynn and others encouraged people to spread the word of possible deletion.

The purge story was picked up by Hannah Ellison at the Huffington Post two days ago, who compared the FanFiction.Net purge to a book burning. Ellison went on to say, "[t]hese unpaid authors are at the mercy of the sites willing to house their work and as such must adhere to the lines drawn in the very murky sand of copyright law. Some of these authors spent months writing and editing novel length works to then have them deleted entirely, as if they were something with no artistic or cultural worth; artefacts that either follow the rules or don't." Ellison's post earned 1,900+ Facebook likes, with 50 comments on the article.

Ellison's story appeared on several Tumblr posts. xmarisolx posted her response on Tumblr a day ago, claiming FanFiction.Net was shooting itself in the foot, driving traffic to other archives such as An Archive of Our Own (AO3). candycanine, quoting Heinrich Heine, supported Ellison's book burning reference.

Talking to Wikinews, former fan fiction writer and current professional writer Angelia Sparrow indicated a lack of surprise over FanFiction.Net's actions saying, "Ten years ago they purged all the NC-17 stuff. Sounds like they just did a cleanup again. We're getting more puritanical everywhere, you know? All Romance Ebooks is strongly limiting what romances can contain."

Long time Thunderbirds fan fiction writer Tikatu told Wikinews, "The content purge hasn't bothered me at all, really, though I've been lurking around on ff.net's Critics United. They've been blamed for all the deleted stories -- never mind that they don't have enough people to have reported that many fics."

Anime fan fiction writer and artist Hurricane Islandheart defended FanFiction.Net's actions, saying "All FF.net was doing was catching up on their site maintenance and reports - people just freaked because they'd finally been caught breaking the rules." She reinforced this idea on her LiveJournal.

“	I think that's what finally killed me about fandom. That bullshit merited coverage by the Huffington Post, and all that happened was FF.net finally decided to deal with some reports and enforce their rules for a little while again. They've done this before. We did it at MediaMiner, when that site was actively moderated - reports would pile up in slack time, when all the mods were busy, and when we'd finally get a chance to look at them, some would take it as a "sudden attack" on their fics. No, it's not a "sudden attack" - you got away with breaking the rules for a while, but now, between some mods who have time on their hands and a group targeting shitty fics, they finally got caught. (For the record - my fics flagrantly disregarded the rules at FF.net, and for the last few years I had a notice up on my profile in boldface that said as much and that I was aware of it. I was never, ever, reported; I never, ever had CU comment on any of my fics; I never, ever had FF.net staff remove them. I finally got sick of the site and took them down myself a few days ago, since I've decided to make my move to AO3 permanent.)	”
	— Hurricane Islandheart on LiveJournal

Fan fiction archives [edit]

In response to the purge, users flocked to other sites and archives. Recommendations for sites included DreamWidth, LiveJournal, YourFanFiction.Com and An Archive of Our Own (AO3).

AO3 experienced down time as the site's servers could not handle the additional load from FanFiction.Net users, generating a number of 50 errors at the height of the problem. The site's parent organization, Organization for Transformative Works, not mentioning server problems on their Dreamwidth account, updated their website six days ago to discuss the situation.

“	This sudden and dramatic expansion has come about largely as a result of changes on Fanfiction.net, who have recently introduced more stringent enforcement of their policies relating to explicit fanworks which have resulted in some fans no longer being able to host their works there. One of the primary reasons the AO3 was created was in order to provide a home for fanworks which were at risk of deletion elsewhere, so we're very keen to welcome these new users, but in the short term this does present us with some challenges!	”
	— Lucy Pearson, Organization for Transformative Works

The traffic increase came on the back of Quantcast-reported increase earlier in the year, 57,201 visitors at the end of April, up from 40,560 at the end of March. Alexa reported a big drop in traffic for the archive the day of the purge and traffic has subsequently remained at above average before FanFiction.Net purge levels. This matches other organizationally reported increase. AO3 took measures to reduce server load such as disabling tag filtering, improving statistics caching, turning off alphabetical listing of users, suspending the ability for people to request invitations to and from the site. Even before FanFiction.Net's adult content purge, AO3's invitation code queue exceeded 17,000. Before the site closed registration, Tumblr user alien-rz requested a code and received a confirmation e-mail saying "You’ve been added to our queue! Yay! We estimate that you’ll receive an invitation around 2012-12-13."

FanFiction.Net users like fujiwara-nanaho registered for Dreamwidth in case FanFiction.Net removed their content.

No problems were reported by Hurricane Islandheart on MediaMiner.Org, an anime-centric fan fiction site popular in the mid-'00s that is largely absent of moderators at the moment. The site saw an increase in traffic earlier this year, going from 24,156 at end-December, according to Quantcast, to 58,558 visitors at the end of March this year.

According to Tikatu, a member of FanFiction.net Writers Unite, an eFiction software based site, YourFanFiction.com went down under the additional traffic strain. According to Tumblr users, having been created in response to the purge, the site swelled to over a thousand users including a number of Tumblr users like bluelilacflame, konata-the-espeon and getwhatyouwantorjustgetold.

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Hannah Ellison. "The Book Burning That Wasn't: Thousands of Works of Fiction Destroyed and No One Pays Attention" — Huffington Post, June 14, 2012
Lucy Pearson. "Update on AO3 performance issues" — Organization for Transformative Works, June 11, 2012

External links [edit]

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Deadly tornadoes rip through southern US, killing over 300

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:36:47 GMT

Friday, April 29, 2011

Disasters and accidents

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NOAA tornado probability map for April 27, 2011

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A huge thunderstorm system spawning massive tornadoes ripped through the south-eastern US Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning, killing at least 306 people in six states and causing wide spread property damage. Some 173 tornadoes have been reported from New York to Texas. In the worst hit state of Alabama, at least 210 are confirmed dead, including 36 in Tuscaloosa alone.

	In terms of the ground-up damage and quite possibly the insured damage, this event will be of historic proportions.
—Jose Miranda, EQECAT

Deaths also were reported in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky.

Up to one million people in Alabama were without power. A nuclear power plant was shut down in Alabama after it lost power to its three units, an operation of the plant's safety systems.

Seven states have declared a state of emergency, and federal aid is being sent to Alabama. Governor Robert J. Bentley said he was activating 2,000 Alabama National Guard personell to aid in search and rescue. President Barack Obama, who plans to visit Alabama on Friday to view the destruction, sent a message of condolence to the governor:

"Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives because of the tornadoes that have swept through Alabama and the southeastern United States. Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this devastation, and we commend the heroic efforts of those who have been working tirelessly to respond to this disaster. I just spoke to Governor Bentley and told him that I have ordered the Federal Government to move quickly in our response and informed him that I approved his request for emergency Federal assistance, including search and rescue assets. While we may not know the extent of the damage for days, we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens affected by these storms."

Preliminary estimates of the tornado hitting Tuscaloosa suggest it tore along the ground for 176 miles and contained winds up to 200 miles per hour. The devastation included residential and commercial areas, as well as the city's infrastructure and civic buildings.

	I don't know how anyone survived. ... But when you look at the path of destruction that's likely 5 to 7 miles long in an area half a mile to a mile wide ... it's an amazing scene. There's parts of the city I don't recognize, and that's someone that's lived here his entire life.
—Walter Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa

"I don't know how anyone survived," said Mayor Walter Maddox of Tuscaloosa. "We're used to tornadoes here in Tuscaloosa. It's part of growing up. But when you look at the path of destruction that's likely 5 to 7 miles long in an area half a mile to a mile wide ... it's an amazing scene. There's parts of the city I don't recognize, and that's someone that's lived here his entire life."

Officials did not want to give specific numbers for death toll and destruction in specific states, as the extent of the damage and human injury and death is not completely known. According the the Los Angeles Times, "Mississippi officials reported 32 dead, Tennessee raised its report to 29, Georgia reported 13, Virginia said it had eight deaths and Kentucky reported at least one death. The number of injured was in the hundreds, with that number also expected to rise."

"In terms of the ground-up damage and quite possibly the insured damage, this event will be of historic proportions," Jose Miranda, from EQECAT, a catastrophe risk modeling firm,

The severe weather warning has been continued through Thursday, and includes parts of New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

This outbreak of tornadoes is considered the deadliness since 1974 when more than 300 were killed in a tornado outbreak. On March 18, 1925, 695 people died in a storm.

Greg Carbin, meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said, "May is usually the most active tornado month. Will it maintain the activity of April, we just cannot say."

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Sources [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak

Verna Gates. "Tornadoes tear across South, killing over 306" — Reuters, April 29, 2011
"Number of weather related fatalities climb to 210" — Alabama Emergency Management Agency, April 28, 2011
"Tornadoes and storms rip through South, at least 284 dead" — Reuters, April 28, 2011
Marty Roney. "Dozens of tornadoes kill more than 240 in South" — USA Today, April 28, 2011
"Storms kill scores in Alabama and other south US states" — BBC News, April 28, 2011
Richard Fausset, Michael Muskal,. "Alabama, Southern states pounded by 'catastrophic' storms; at least 250 dead" — Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2011
Greg Bluestein, Jay Reeves (Associated Press). "Tornadoes devastate South, killing at least 214" — San Diego News Tribune, April 28, 2011
Leezel Tanglao, Michael S. James, Ben Forer. "Deadly Tornadoes: 210 Killed Across South, Including 131 in Alabama" — ABC World News, April 28, 2011
Press Release: President Barack Obama. "Statement by the President on the Severe Storms and Tornadoes in Alabama" — The White House, April 27, 2011

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Music duo The Bellamy Brothers accuse Britney Spears of plagiarism

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:19:26 GMT

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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Culture and entertainment

Sources [edit]

Daily Mail Reporter. "Britney Spears faces multi-million dollar lawsuit accused of 'ripping off' song lyrics for Hold It Against Me" — Daily Mail, February 20, 2011
Daniel Sperling. "Spears sued for 'ripping off' 70s rock duo?" — Digital Spy, February 20, 2011

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BP reports progress in oil spill cleanup

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:30:49 GMT

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

United States

Sources [edit]

Angel Gonzalez. "BP:About 24,980 Barrels of Total Oil Recovered July 5" — The Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2010

"Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill-05 July" — BP, July 5, 2010

Justin Gillis and Henry Fountain. "Rate of Oil Leak, Still Not Clear, Puts Doubt on BP" — New York Times, July 7, 2010

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Severe flooding leaves 28 dead in southern United States

Tue, 04 May 2010 04:16:49 GMT

Weather

Sources [edit]

William Harless and Joseph Berger. "Floods Prompt Evacuations in Nashville" — The New York Times, May 3, 2010
"22 Killed in Storms in Southern United States" — Voice of America, May 3, 2010
"Governor Beshear declares state of emergency because of flooding" — WKYT, May 3, 2010
"Gov. Bredesen asks Obama for flood recovery help, death toll rises again" — The Tennessean, May 3, 2010
Travis Loller. "Death toll rises as river crests, floods Nashville" — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 3, 2010

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Mississippi tornado kills at least ten

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:35:08 GMT

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Disasters and accidents

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At least ten people are dead after a large, destructive tornado tore through Yazoo City, Mississippi yesterday. The tornado has been rated an EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, and is estimated to have had at most 170 mph winds.

Location of Yazoo City within Mississipi

Five of the deaths were in Choctaw County, four in Yazoo County, and one in Holmes County. 21 people have been hospitalized as a result of the storm, and others have been trapped in cars and houses. Multiple injuries resulted from cars being blown off of Interstate 55 during the storm.

The tornado moved along a path 97 miles long and 1.75 miles wide at its widest point. Among damaged or destroyed buildings included at least twenty houses, a church, and several businesses. According to Yazoo City mayor McArthur Straughter, the storm ripped the roofs off of every building in the area. Fallen trees and debris are hindering access to some parts of Yazoo City and Yazoo County. Before ravaging the city, the tornado damaged a chemical plant in Louisiana, causing a nitrogen leak and several injuries.

The Salvation Army is aiding relief efforts by providing hot meals, coffee, cold drinks, and spiritual counseling to tornado victims in Yazoo and Warren Counties.

The tornado occurred on the third, and most active, day of a severe weather outbreak that had previously affected areas of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the latter two of which were also effected during Saturday's outbreak. The Storm Prediction Center has received 104 reports of tornadoes so far during this outbreak.

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Sources [edit]

"Preliminary report on tornado damage" — National Weather Service, April 25, 2010
"Tornado kills at least 10 in Mississippi" — USA Today, April 24, 2010
"Yazoo City, MS struck by large, deadly tornado" — The Weather Channel, April 24, 2010
"Tornado Strikes Mississippi; 10 Dead, Several Injured" — WAPT-TV, April 24, 2010
"10 Dead After Tornado Strikes Western Mississippi" — FOX News, April 24, 2010
"Storm Reports for April 24, 2010" — Storm Prediction Center, April 24, 2010
"Storm Reports for April 23, 2010" — Storm Prediction Center, April 23, 2010
"Storm Reports for April 22, 2010" — Storm Prediction Center, April 22, 2010

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Apartment block blaze kills nine in Mississippi, US

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:04:28 GMT

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Mississippi

Sources [edit]

"Nine die in US blaze" — The Guardian, December 28, 2009
"Fire in Mississippi 'kills nine people'" — In The News, December 28, 2009

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‘Twin Towers’ warship set to enter New York

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:11:24 GMT

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

USS New York travelling down the Mississippi River

A warship built with steel from the World Trade Center is set to enter New York and travel up the Hudson River to the site of Ground Zero. 7.5 tons of steel from the buildings have been used in the construction of the USS New York. When the ship reaches Ground Zero it will fire a 21-gun salute. The ceremony will be viewed by relatives of those who lost their life during the September 11 attacks as well as rescuers and the public.

The official commissioning ceremony takes place on Saturday.

The crest of the ship features the images of the Twin Towers and the colours of the departments that first responded to the attacks.

The ship has 361 sailors serving aboard of which around 1 in 7 is from New York. A spokeswoman for the U.S Navy said that there had been many requests to serve on the ship.

The USS New York departed from Mississippi on October 14. This is the sixth ship to be named after the State of New York.

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Sources [edit]

"'Twin Towers' warship to enter NY" — BBC News Online, November 2, 2009
"Ship built with WTC steel arrives in namesake city" — Washington Post, November 2, 2009

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2009 College World Series field set, games to start Saturday

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:04:24 GMT

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Wikinews Sports

Sources [edit]

"2009 College World Series bracket" — NCAA, June 12, 2009
"College World Series primer" — SI.com, June 12, 2009
Bailey Stephens. "Final eight set for College World Series" — MLB.com, June 12, 2009

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FDA warning on pistachios after salmonella contamination

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:57:17 GMT

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Health

Sources [edit]

Daniel J. DeNoon. "1 million pounds of pistachios recalled" — ABC, March 31, 2009
Daniel J. DeNoon. "FDA: Stop Eating Pistachios, Salmonella Feared" — WebMD Health News, March 30, 2009
Garance Burke. "FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare" — The Associated Press, March 30, 2009
"Kroger recalling shelled pistachios over salmonella worries" — Dayton Business Journal, March 30, 2009 Arkansas

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Tornadoes rampage through Mississippi

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:32:33 GMT

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Disasters and accidents

More articles about disasters and accidents on Wikinews:

Residents in Mississippi awoke to scenes of destruction after two tornadoes touched down before sunrise near the town of Magee and in a rural area of Lauderdale County, around 90 miles east of Jackson.

Dozens of homes and a church were demolished, and at least 20 people injured near Magee. Mayor Jimmy Clyde in an interview on NBC's Today show commented that the town was in "dire straits."

The town is currently without power, and most roads heading into and out of town have been made impassable by debris. No deaths have been reported so far.

Eleven homes and businesses were damaged by the tornado in Lauderdale County, near the Alabama border. In Magee, the only thing left standing at the 100-year-old Corinth Baptist church are its doors. "Our church is still here, because our church is the people, but the building is gone," said a parishioner.

Two people had to be airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Mississippi Department of Transportation workers are laboring to restore power and other utilities to the affected areas.

Due to the time of a day, many people were caught off guard and were forced to scramble to safety. One resident tearfully summarized the night's events: "I lost everything."

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Sources [edit]

"Two tornadoes touch down in Mississippi" — CNN.com, March 26, 2009
"Tornado puts Miss. town in 'dire straits'" — MSNBC.com, March 26, 2009

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Man arrested in Mississippi over Internet assassination threats against Barack Obama

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:17:32 GMT

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Crime and law

Sources [edit]

Learn more about 2008 Barack Obama assassination scare in Denver and 2008 Barack Obama assassination scare in Tennessee on Wikipedia.

Chris Talbott. "Man accused in Miss. of threat to president-elect" — Associated Press, January 17, 2009
Julie Straw. "Internet threats against President-Elect Obama sends man to jail" — WLBT, January 17, 2009
Kathleen Baydala. "Arrest in Obama threat case" — clarionledger.com, January 17, 2009
Adam Northam. "Man arrested over Obama threats" — January 16, 2009
"United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi" — mssd.uscourts.gov, January, 2009
"Aurora arrest leads to Obama assassination ‘plot’" — The Aurora Sentinel, Dec 24, 2008
"Man in suspected Obama plot pleads guilty to weapons charge" — Rocky Mountain News, December 18, 2008
Mariann Martin. "2 men charged in Obama plot face additional counts" — jacksonsun.com, November 21, 2008

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Wikinews Shorts: December 13, 2008

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:44:05 GMT

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, December 13, 2008 .

1 President-Elect Obama's inaugural donations to be listed online
2 Scientists detect black hole at center of Milky Way Galaxy
3 Zimbabwe accuses United Kingdom of causing cholera epidemic
4 Colombia extradites drug lord to the United States
5 Rare snowfall strikes southern United States
6 Pin-up queen Bettie Page dies at age 85
7 Estonian law to allow voting by cell phone

President-Elect Obama's inaugural donations to be listed online [edit]

President-Elect Obama in Austin, TX during the campaign. (Courtesy of Roxanne Mitchel)

The Presidential Inaugural Committee says it is "taking unprecedented steps to insure transparency in the public reporting of donors" by listing the names of individuals or organizations who donate over $200 towards President-Elect Barack Obama's upcoming inaugural.

Logging onto http://www.pic2009.org/page/content/donors/ will show you a current list of over 169 current donors who have given at least that amount, and for most of the donors, much more. Donors include movie stars, real estate moguls, and sports stars, many of whom also contributed to Obama's presidential campaign.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee states that it has raised almost $10 million dollars to cover the inaugural; and while that may seem like a large amount, the spending record for an inaugural is held by the current president, George W. Bush, with $42.8 million spent on his 2004 inaugural.

Nikita Stewart. "Inaugural Donations to Be Listed Online" — The Washington Post, December 13, 2008
Emily Cadei. "Obama Has Raised $10 million" — CQ Politics, December 12, 2008

Scientists detect black hole at center of Milky Way Galaxy [edit]

A simulation of the black hole.

American and German astronomers have detected and confirmed that there is a 'super-massive' black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is approximately 27,000 light years from Earth, and four million times bigger than the Sun. Scientists say it plays a significant role in forming all galaxies.

The 16-year study was performed using two telescopes located in Chile. They discovered it by tracking the movement of over two dozen separate stars. The study will be published next month in The Astrophysical Journal.

Sources

Matt Schofield. "Massive black hole confirmed at heart of our galaxy" — Kansas City Star, December 10, 2008
Pallab Ghosh. "Black hole confirmed in Milky Way" — BBC News Online, December 9, 2008

Zimbabwe accuses United Kingdom of causing cholera epidemic [edit]

An ally of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, has said that a cholera epidemic in the country, which killed hundreds of people, was caused by the United Kingdom.

Ndlovu said of the outbreak that it was a "genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British." It was compared to a "serious biological chemical weapon".

This comes just a day after President Mugabe announced that the cholera epidemic had been stopped, contradicting aid workers saying that the crisis was only getting worse.

Mugabe has already accused Western powers of planning to use the epidemic as a reason to oust him.

Sources

"UK caused cholera, says Zimbabwe" — BBC News, December 12, 2008
DPA. "Zimbabwe says Britain 'planted' cholera in 'genocide' bid - Summary" — The Earth Times, December 12, 2008

Colombia extradites drug lord to the United States [edit]

Montoya's mugshot

Diego Montoya, who is alleged to be one of the Colombia's most powerful drug lords, has been handed over to the United States authorities by Colombia to face trial. Montoya will face 12 charges, including those of murder, money laundering, and the trafficking of drugs. If convicted, he will serve no less than twenty years in prison.

Montoya was the leader of the Norte del Valle cartel, which is reported to have exported 70% of all the cocaine sold in both the European Union and the United States at its height. He was on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Top Ten" most wanted fugitives.

Sources

"Colombia hands 'drug lord' to US" — BBC News, December 12, 2008
"Colombia extradites top drug suspect Diego Montoya to US" — dailypress.com, December 12, 2008

Rare snowfall strikes southern United States [edit]

Snow has started falling in some southern states of the US, including Louisiana and Mississippi. As much as eight inches of snow were recorded, and thousands of people were left without power - one of Louisiana's largest power suppliers, Cleco Corporation, reported ten thousand outages. Forecasters warned of dangerous driving conditions, and some flights at Louis Armstrong International Airport, located near New Orleans, were affected.

In New Orleans, snow fell today for the first time in four years. The largest snowfall amount for the city ever recorded is about 5 inches, on December 30, 1963.

Sources

"Southern US hit by rare snowfall" — BBC News, December 12, 2008
"Rare snow covers south Louisiana, Miss." — Netscape News, December 12, 2008

Pin-up queen Bettie Page dies at age 85 [edit]

Bettie Page, a model who became famous for her pin-up photos, has died at the age of 85. Page died of complications from a heart attack on Thursday, December 11.

She was born Bettie Mae Page on April 22, 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was also one of the earliest Playmates of the Month for Playboy magazine.

Sources

"50s pin-up queen Bettie Page dies" — BBC News Online, December 12, 2008
AP. "1950s pinup model Bettie Page dies in LA at 85" — Associated Press, December 12, 2008

Estonian law to allow voting by cell phone [edit]

The Parliament of Estonia has passed a law that will allow citizens to vote by mobile phone in the 2011 parliamentary elections. Voters will need free, authorized chips for their phones.

In last year's elections, Estonians voted online. The country's Reform Party proposed mobile voting in September 2007.

Sources

Jari Tanner. "Estonia to vote by mobile phone in 2011" — Associated Press, December 12, 2008
The Baltic Times staff and wire reports. "Lithuania ready for e-voting, but Estonia's already onto m-voting" — The Baltic Times, September 27, 2007

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English Wikinews RSS feed.

January tornadoes, severe weather in southern, midwestern US cause fatalities

Sources [edit]

Actor and television host Gary Collins dies aged 74

Sources [edit]

FanFiction.Net adult content purge felt across fandom two weeks on

Contents

Critics United [edit]

Fan response [edit]

Fan fiction archives [edit]

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External links [edit]

Deadly tornadoes rip through southern US, killing over 300

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

Music duo The Bellamy Brothers accuse Britney Spears of plagiarism

Sources [edit]

External links [edit]

BP reports progress in oil spill cleanup

Sources [edit]

Severe flooding leaves 28 dead in southern United States

Sources [edit]

Mississippi tornado kills at least ten

Sources [edit]

Apartment block blaze kills nine in Mississippi, US

Sources [edit]

‘Twin Towers’ warship set to enter New York

Sources [edit]

2009 College World Series field set, games to start Saturday

Sources [edit]

FDA warning on pistachios after salmonella contamination

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

Tornadoes rampage through Mississippi

Sources [edit]

Man arrested in Mississippi over Internet assassination threats against Barack Obama

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

Wikinews Shorts: December 13, 2008

Contents

President-Elect Obama's inaugural donations to be listed online [edit]

Scientists detect black hole at center of Milky Way Galaxy [edit]

Zimbabwe accuses United Kingdom of causing cholera epidemic [edit]

Colombia extradites drug lord to the United States [edit]

Rare snowfall strikes southern United States [edit]

Pin-up queen Bettie Page dies at age 85 [edit]

Estonian law to allow voting by cell phone [edit]